Canadian Immigration Help & Counsel

Liar for Hire!

Q. I do not have a personal immigration issue but I am curious as to all the immigration stories you read about – fake marriages, fake refugees and fake documents. How does this continue year after year and with people helping them out – sometimes even consultants and lawyers? As a tax payer it bothers me that we pay for all this. I would welcome your opinion.

A. You raise a common concern. For my part I strongly believe Canada has one of the best citizenship, immigration and refugee systems in the entire world. Are there abuses? Yes. Are the abuses as common as we often hear? Absolutely not. Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) do not receive fair credit for the amazing job they do protecting our borders while welcoming needed and contributing newcomers to our country every year. In terms of fraudsters who assist individuals to work the system – the old liar for hire concept – yes they do exist. But CIC and CBSA again are taking stronger measures to eliminate these individuals. Lawyers are heavily regulated as are Certified Immigration Consultants. But it is those ghost representatives that are a challenge but they are and will continue to be driven out of the system. So although our system is not perfect (what is?), I welcome questions such as yours because it affords me an opportunity to highlight the positives of a very successful immigration program that welcomes hundreds of thousands of permanent and temporary residents each year. So take some solace that your tax dollars are being well spent.